water treatment plant process is a robust demand of the massive growth of the population. To learn more about this rigorous process, go through the words of this context.

Introduction

The importance of water to keep the ecosystem balanced is known to everyone. The whole surface of our planet is covered with 71% of water, and the rest is land. Though 71% of the planet’s surface is water, the total drinkable water is too little. Merely it is 1%. Clean and fresh water is a necessity of everyday life, and even in irrigation systems, only pure and fresh water can always be used. But as a lot of industries are growing or there are blocking of ponds or lakes, the scarcity of fresh water is rapidly increasing. In a lot of countries like Qatar, Israel, Saudi Arabia, India, Pakistan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Iran, Lebanon, Libya, etc., water scarcity is now extremely high. 

According to various reports, 2.3 billion people live in water-stressed countries. Recently UNICEF published an account where it is maintained that .42 billion people – including 450 million children – live in areas of high or extremely high water vulnerability. Seven hundred eighty-five million people lack access to basic water needs. The World Health Organization said that 884 million people lack access to safe drinking water. The Global Water Institute assesses that 700 million people could be displaced by severe water scarcity by 2030. 

After going through all of these statistics published by major institutions, it is true that the needs of water purification or water conservation are much needed. When our planet is experiencing and struggling with non-biodegradable plastic waste, industrial waste, and other contaminants, it is much needed to more and more water treatment plants so that we can fight water scarcity easily. 

But before jumping into the water treatment plant process, you should learn more about a few things that will help you to understand the detailed information about the whole process. To know more about the water treatment plant process, go through the sections here.

What is water contamination?

As there is a massive growth of industries, there is a considerable rate of water pollution or water contamination. Rivers, reservoirs, lakes, etc., are drowning in poisonous chemicals, plastics, wastes, etc. All of these are causing the degradation of water quality and rendering it toxic to humans or the environment.

There are four main reasons for water pollution.

• Industrial waste
• Sewage
• Agricultural waste
• Urban runoff

Let’s talk about these points.

• Industrial waste

Industrial waste is the most poisonous and inescapable issue for all kinds of water bodies like rivers, lakes, and even oceans. Industrial waste includes heavy metals, toxic chemicals, microplastics, sand, rubber, ceramics, and petroleum products. All of this waste is flushed into those water bodies. Apart from these, all of those industrial wastes are also put in landfills. In this way, groundwater quality is getting worse. Some industries make use of stormwater runoff to discharge their waste. Stormwater runoff is the extra water on the ground after heavy rainfall or flood. When this water flows through various drainage systems, it carries all those waste, and finally, it runs into any stream like a river. 

• Sewage

Sewage from households and other commercial places with waste from the kitchen and bathroom and other domestic waste also causes a big problem for water bodies. The contents of human and animal excrement are very toxic to our health, and it also degrades all kinds of water bodies.

• Agricultural waste

Agricultural garbage and waste include harmful pesticides, fungicides, fertilizers, and chemicals, which consist of harmful components. When the trash is getting mixed with nearby ponds or rivers, the water body gets infected. Aqua life encounters troubles too.

• Urban runoff

Heavy floods, excess rainfall, etc., cause extra water flow that is not absorbed by the ground. These runoffs can also carry roadside waste. These runoffs can directly go to any stream or through drainage systems, and these runoffs can mix into any water body. In this way, fresh drinking water can be contaminated. 

When these kinds of water bodies are contaminated in various ways, humans suffer, and all types of life forms get to suffer. The underwater ecosystem is adversely affected due to oxygen shortage and eutrophication, disturbing the system. 

What are the effects of water pollution on drinking water?

Water pollution is one of the most challenging issues for all humanity, as well as other forms of life. As a result of massive water pollution in various places, the drinking water problem is rising rapidly. Drinking water shows changes in physical and chemical forms in multiple intensities.

Undesirable color, odor, changes in color, turbidity, salinity, and pH are also few significant issues in drinking and water. These kinds of changes and the overall water pollution cause transmission of diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid, polio, etc. 

To get rid of these kinds of pollution, water treatment plants are much needed and should be in action immediately. 

What is a water treatment plant, and how does it benefit?

A water treatment plant is a destination where wastewater (water that is no longer fit for its present objective) moves to once it exits homes and companies through sewage pipes. The whole sewage system possesses miles of lines below ground where wastewater streams to the treatment plant for processing. Water treatment plants have become the urgent need as they can help commercial and industrial facilities become environmentally friendly and compliant in their wastewater removal.

There are a few types of water treatment plants. Those are as follows.

• Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP)

Wastewater Treatment Plant, or WWTP, is primarily used in all kinds of industries that produce a tremendous amount of wastewater. On-site wastewater treatment plants are much needed for these industries.

• Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs)

Sewage treatment plants or STPs can be found in big cities where ,vast amounts of sewage are produced daily in residential households, commercial buildings, etc. 

• Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs)

Effluent Treatment Plants or ETPs are usually found in places where high and extensive chemical contamination in the wastewater is found. It can be the manufacturing in pharmaceuticals, textile industries, or dye manufacturing industries. 

• Demineralization (DM) Treatment Plants

DM treatment is essential for industries where the requirements for pure water are always high. The food & beverage industry, make-up industry, etc., are those industries where the demineralization treatment plant is always required.

• Reverse Osmosis (RO) Water Treatment

Various industries, including mechanical, boiler feed, semiconductor manufacturing, and metal finishing for food and beverage, usually make use of reverse osmosis water treatment plants.

Advantages of water treatment

As the issue of water pollution is rising day by day, the demand for water treatment is continuously growing. There are a many benefits to the water treatment plant process.

Below, we have mentioned the detailed advantages of water treatment.

• Water treatment provides us with hygienic and safe water to drink.
• Rejuvenate the quality of water that is divested of its natural purity and nutrients
• Reusing our water resources can minimize pollution.
• Polluted water is a source of a lot of diseases. Utilizing water that has been treated can create a barrier against these.
• It is economical to treat the available water rather than buy mineral water.

Steps of Water treatment plant process

The water treatment plant process was previously limited to boiling, sedimentation, filtering, solar treatment, etc. But as the pollution level of water is growing by an unbelievable amount, these traditional processes could be more satisfying and trustworthy. New technology with modern techniques is much needed nowadays. So, lots of research work took place to get the best kind of water after treatment. It will help to get the purest possible version of drinking water. 

Here are the fundamental steps that are followed in the water treatment plant process.

• Coagulation

Coagulants are chemicals that are added to the water so that they neutralize the negative charge of the dissolved particles. Usually, alum and iron are used as coagulants. 

• Flocculation

The water is made to flow into a flocculation basin to aid in the coagulation process. Here, the size of the flocs is enhanced to help the settling out. In addition, a flocculant may be added to the water to aid this process. Inside the flocculation basin, slow paddle mixers help particle collision. 

• Sedimentation

Sedimentation refers to the separation of solids or sediments from the water. The flocs, which are now heavier, settle down at the bottom of the basin due to gravity.

• Filtration

When the clear water passespasses through pores of different sizes, these different pores help remove any other solids in the water. In this step, usually, sand, gravel, and dust are typically used. The filters need to be backwashed at a fixed interval. Sometimes, reverse osmosis and ultrafiltration are also used in this step. Sometimes, activated carbon is also used to purify the water more. Unwanted colors, smell, or taste can be removed in this step.

• Disinfection

A disinfectant or several disinfectants can be added to the water to continue the water treatment plant operation. For example, chlorine or Chlorine dioxide may be used to kill bacteria or viruses that may still be present in the water. Some plants also use UV light to disinfect the water.

Some other water treatment processes

Though the methods as mentioned above are the main processes, a few more steps or procedures are present that can enhance the overall water treatment process. Here are those steps.

• Ultrafiltration

Water is passed through pores of size ranging from .01 to 0.1 microns. It is highly effective in tackling bacteria and virus infection in the water.

• Microfiltration

This is a level before ultrafiltration. The pores are between 0.1 and 1 micron.

• Ozonation

Organic compounds and microorganisms can be eliminated by treating water with ozone.

• Flotation

Bubble attachment is used to separate solid particles from liquid.

• Desalination

Desalination processes like distillation and reverse osmosis are frequently utilized, especially in coastal locations.

• Biological treatment

Microorganisms are used to break down contaminants. Autotrophs can fix carbon in the water and make fat, proteins, or carbohydrates. Heterotrophs can help by feeding on organic particles in the wastewater.

• Ion exchange

A resin with strong chloride and sodium ions ensures that the pollutant ions remain attached to it. 

Bottom Line

fullAs water contamination is proliferating, the water treatment plant process is an inevitable need of any country today. It will be the best way to get safe and clean water. So here are the whole details of the water treatment plant process. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What are the significant steps of water treatment?

The whole water treatment process includes a few steps like Collection, Screening and Straining, Chemical Addition, Coagulation and Flocculation, Sedimentation and Clarification, Filtration, Disinfection, Storage, and finally, Distribution.

2. What are the two types of water treatment?

Water treatment can be divided based on the types of contaminants present in water. Those two types are Particle filtration and Membrane filtration.

3. What is ETP in water treatment?

Effluent Treatment Plants or ETPs are used by most companies in various industries to clean water and remove any toxic and non-toxic materials or chemicals from it.

4. What are BOD and COD?

Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is the number of oxygen microorganisms require to break down organic materials. On the other hand, chemical oxygen demand (COD) is the amount of oxygen needed to break down the organic material via oxidation. 

5. What are the concerns with water treatment?

The five most common problems in water treatment are

• Training issues
• Bacteria control
• Poor monitoring and record keeping
• Equipment design and specification
• Maintenance problems

6. What is the backwashing of a filter?

A filter is backwashed to get rid of the waste particles deposited on the filter, and it will keep the filter clean.

7. Mention some of the significant coagulants used in the water treatment plant process.

Major coagulants are an alum, sodium aluminate, ferric sulfate, and ferric chloride.